Mode Monitoring and Call-Outs: An Eye-Tracking Study of Two-Crew Automated Flight Deck Operations

Mode awareness is defined as the supervisor's ability to track and anticipate the behavior of automated systems. This study investigated mode awareness of operators in automated flight decks by measuring eye point of gaze of both pilots during simulated commercial flights, while recording call-outs and tracking aircraft performance. The results show that although the compliance to manufacturer or airline procedures regarding mode monitoring and call-outs was very low, this did not seem to have a negative effect on flight path or safety. Crews exhibited a proliferation of strategies to keep track of status and behavior of the automation, often with little reliance on the flight mode annunciations of the primary flight display. The data confirm the limitations of current flight mode annunciator designs and the procedures for verbally coordinating mode transitions. This study also suggests that mode awareness is a very complex phenomenon than may be hard to capture in experimental work alone.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/21653673
• Authors:
  • Bjorklund, Caroline M
  • Alfredson, Jens
  • Dekker, Sidney WA
• Publication Date: 2006

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 263-275
• Serial:
  • International Journal of Aviation Psychology
  • Volume: 16
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Taylor & Francis
  • ISSN: 1050-8414
  • EISSN: 1532-7108
  • Serial URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/hiap20/current

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pilots; Automation; Aviation safety; Awareness; Civil aviation; Experiments; Eye movements; Flight simulators; Monitoring
• Uncontrolled Terms: Automated flight deck systems; Call-outs; Flight displays; Flight mode annunciator; Flight procedures
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01031185
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 23 2006 7:58AM